Jiu Ye Shen Chuan

As far as I can tell, the ninth night refers to the first quarter half moon, an astrology of sorts in the story. It's a day of important events surrounding the main characters. 12 years ago, a war that is not fully explained in the first season happens between the Moon Tribes and another people. The Moon Tribes disparagingly call them nomads, and accuse them of hiding in the mist, assassinating ordinary citizens. The nomads, on the other hand, accuse the Moon Tribes of a conspiracy to confine them in a misty forest, where they are often subject to a shadowy black miasma, called "the ... natural disaster", a plague that swallows the spiritual energy of anyone it touches and kills them.

The main protagonist is Liu Li, a prodigy of one of the Moon Tribe branch families that want nothing to do with the past. She just wants to live out her days in comfort; yet, recognizing her talent, the tribe regularly sends her out on errands. Despite her attempts to complete them with bare minimum effort, she always seems to be pulled into more than she wants.

While Liu Li's antics were amusing to begin with, they start to wear thin later on in the show, especially as she seemed to lack authenticity. Her attempts at dodging conversations become halfhearted, as she straddles between wanting to go home, yet still acceding to the prince's demands. She acts disgusted, yet she ends up sticking around. It's almost as if she's just being a tsundere.

That aside, the character cast is decent on the protagonist side. Each character have distinct personality without relying on exaggerated quirks. For example, one of the tribe leaders is a formations nerd and she's a space head, but that isn't overdone like an anime trope. And while the antagonists seem to have a raison d'etre, they all act like petty thugs, the stereotypical villains that seem to be only interested in rape and murder for no reason besides they want to. They try to justify that killing Moon Tribesman individuals are nothing compared to what the tribe has done to them, much later on in the show, but that doesn't quite erase their earlier act.

The standout has to be the plot. Not much happens, but the atmosphere is well done, and the characters are all established and well motivated in the first season. All the pieces are placed, and it feels like something big is about to happen. But be warned: I don't know when season 2 is coming out, but the end of the first season leaves off on a huge cliffhanger.

I really only recommend shows with some semblance of an ending, so for now this is one with potential, but we won't know how it would pan out.

For those that care, the 3D animation is decent. The character motions are fluid, except in combat. The fights are decently choreographed but the animation itself is not the best. Not bad enough to distract though.